Vineyards

The Round Pond Estate is situated in the heart of Rutherford, California, an appellation that has been famous for its world-class red wines for more than a century. The property spans 357 acres of planted vineyards, including our Red Barn Ranch, Hill’s, Round Pond and MacDonnell vineyards. To maintain the integrity of the land and to ensure its continuing bounty for generations to come, we use only sustainable farming practices in our viticulture program.

Round Pond’s soils are extremely fertile due to deposits from alluvial outflows of the Conn Creek and Napa River that took place thousands of year ago. As a result, vine health is exceptional, and the vines grow vigorously in this unique appellation. To maintain vine balance and reduce yields – both key factors for quality – we limit each vine to two clusters per shoot, making certain that no two clusters even touch one another. In addition, we carefully work the canopy to establish a good ratio of sunlight to shade. To further control vine vigor we utilize advanced technology to monitor hydration levels in the soil. When we are within days of harvesting, our skilled vineyard workers (some of whom have almost 30 years of experience at Round Pond) hand inspect each vine to discard bad berries, or even entire clusters. As a result, when the fruit is finally picked it represents a meticulous selection of only the finest grapes.

Finally, because we own our vineyards, our winemaker is in the fortuitous position of being able to initiate harvest at ideal levels of ripeness – an essential element in crafting wines with an elegantly voluptuous and drinkable style.